ISLAMABAD – In a surprise move, the chief justice of Pakistan, Mian Saqib Nisar directed the National Testing Service to slash the fee levied on applicants for govt jobs by half, here on Friday.

The directives were issued on a petition filed by a student who pleaded the court to lessen the fee charged in terms of tests for government jobs as the students were already unemployed.

The student mentioned in his application that for each job vacancy, candidates had to pay a hefty amount of fee which an unemployed person could not afford. It is only after appearing for these tests that candidates can qualify for government jobs.

The application added that due to the heavy financial burden, job seekers are being forced to forego applying for many positions.

After the order was passed by the chief justice, the government issued instructions to all ministries and their divisions to pay 50 percent of the applicable fees from their own budget.

Instructions were further issued to the National Testing Service (NTS) to observe the rules of the Pakistan Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) and ensure minimum rates of fee.

The chief justice also asked Security Division, Establishment Division to submit a report regarding the implementation of the instructions within two months.

Provincials governments were also directed to take required steps to provide maximum relief to job aspirants and to submit a detailed report within six weeks.